More about Safari Nuts
One of the most popular foods around, Safari Nuts are famous for their freshness, great taste and texture. And with so
many varieties to choose from, nuts are versatile from breakfast to dinner and anytime in between.
Different varieties of nuts offer different nutrition with various health benefits but in general, nuts are mostly packed
with protein, fibre and essential fats. An egg-sized portion (about 30 g) of unsalted nuts is a delicious energy-boosting
snack and, unlike most other options, provides you with a great mix of valuable vitamins and minerals.
However, our interest in nuts is in cooking and baking and there are you will find many recipes on I love Cooking using
Safari Nuts but there are many other ways in which you can enjoy nuts in your menu.
Some nutty dinner ideas
• Toss toasted walnuts through a salad made of
roasted pumpkin, spinach and avocado.
• Blend blanched almonds, cow or soy milk, soft
ripe fruit, yoghurt or ice cream to make a delicious
smoothie.
• Add chopped nuts to your baking, especially to
your favourite recipes for banana bread, muffins,
and carrot cake.
• Dry roast cashew buts and sprinkle over a Thai
beef salad.
• Crumble pecan nuts into your next risotto.
• Use walnuts next time you make basil or tomato
pesto.
• Whiz together skinned Brazil nuts, garlic, ricotta
and parsley together for a delicious mushroom
stuffing.
• Sprinkle cashews or slivered almonds through a
stir fry.
• Spread a thick layer of coarsely chopped pecans
or walnuts over Greek yoghurt, smother with an
equally thick layer of honey and enjoy as a quick
and easy dessert.
• Sprinkle chopped, roasted and skinned hazelnuts
or almonds onto low-fat ice cream.
• Add extra crunch to dips with chopped pecans,
almonds or walnuts.
• In a heated, dry, non-stick pan, toast a variety
of your favourite nuts, add a little olive oil and
warming spices (to taste) such as ground cumin,
smoked paprika, chili powder or cayenne pepper
and enjoy while still warm with a glass of wine or
sherry.
Some hints to toast and skin nuts
• To skin hazelnuts, place them in a single layer onto a baking
sheet. Place in a hot oven for a few minutes, remove and tip
onto a clean tea towel. Enclose the nuts in the towel to form
a parcel then rub the parcel vigorously between your hands
– the skins will rub off easily.
• To toast nuts in a pan: heat a non-stick, dry pan over
medium heat. Tip your nuts into the pan making sure it’s
a single layer. Without shaking the pan or stirring the nuts,
toast them for a minute or so, until aromatic. Then stir the
nuts or shake the pan to toast them as much as you can all
over until light golden. DO not leave the pan unattended,
nuts can burn in a heartbeat. When toasted to your lining,
tip the nuts out of the pan into a bowl or onto a board
immediately.
Some hints to store your nuts
Nuts easily take on the smell of other foods near
them, like onions and garlic and their essential fat
content makes them vulnerable to heat, so storage
is important. Here are some hints:
• Keep your nuts sealed in their packs in a dark, cool
place until ready to use.
• Once the packs are opened, keep any unused nuts
in air-tight containers in a dark, cool place.
• You can store nuts at (cool) room temperature
for up to three months, in the fridge for up to six
months and in the freezer for a year or more. Just
ensure that they are stored in airtight containers as
the moisture levels in fridges and freezers will spoil
their textures.
• It’s a good idea to label your packs and container of
nuts with the date they were bought.